Trust is key
by JuvenilePixie
Summary: What happens when a man you once trusted does everything he can to ruin you? After that night in Godric's Hollow, little Harry is missing - swept away into the night by a mysterious man. Will Sirius be able to find him? and what happens when he must go to Hogwarts and face the man who tried to destroy him?
1. Chapter 1

The parlour had been lavishly decorated for Christmas. It was a tradition of the Potter's that Sirius Black had gladly adopted to decorate the house as a family, something his mother would have never comprehended. Christmases at Grimmauld Place had been a dull affair when he was a boy, just an excuse for the various pureblood families to flaunt their wealth and status, as he attempted to stay far away from any 'festivities'. Though the year he left, his first Christmas with the Potters, he had suddenly realised what all his friends at Hogwarts had been raving on about in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Mrs Potter would make mince pies while he and James hung wreaths and decorated the tree. Then once James and Lily met, he would join their Christmas celebrations, happy at the addition of little Harry who seemed so full of Christmas cheer it was a wonder he hadn't exploded.

It was now mid-January however and Sirius, despite the omens of bad luck associated with it, had not yet taken down any decorations. It was as if Christmas hadn't happened, in fact he felt as if nothing good had happened since that dark October night. All the light in his life had vanished along with Harry when he had arrived in Godrics Hollow to find the bodies of the people he had considered his only family, dead. Harry had not been found, and despite efforts from the Order to locate him, no sightings had been made. Sirius Black thought of Harry as he sipped his small tumbler of fire whiskey, the Christmas decorations long forgotten and the fire almost out. He thought also of Dumbledore, who had given him strict instructions to not contact the order for fear of a spy, and the even stricter instructions to not leave Grimmauld Place. The Daily Prophet lay open and forgotten on the arm of his chair, like every other day he had fruitlessly scanned the paper for any news of his godson, but there was no such luck. Thus it was a surprise to him when Molly Weasley appeared, quite dishevelled in his parlour.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry to come through unannounced" Molly offered as she stumbled out of the fireplace despite years of practice. She had clearly not planned the visit as she stood, apron-clad, a few small specs of flour on her face, clutching what appeared to be a story-book.

After months of no visitors, save Remus who he had not seen for a few weeks now, Sirius was at a bit of a loss for words. He stood, inviting Molly to sit down as he replied "It's no problem at all Molly, though I must say I'm surprised to hear from you". He quickly used his wand to levitate two mugs to where they both sat, pouring a cup of tea for them both.

Molly thanked him and took a large sip of tea, unsure about whether or not she should have risked a visit now that the order was virtually lost. She knew however, that this visit was important, and despite the risks it was fair that Sirius know the truth. "Yes, Dumbledore gave me and Arthur strict instructions not to contact anyone" she informed him, and added more sadly "but I'm so sorry Sirius, I can't imagine anyone is as upset as you are".

"It's been difficult for everyone, Molly" Sirius offered, knowing she had certainly had her share of torment throughout the war "I only wish I could be doing more to find Harry".

"Well that's actually why I came Sirius" she began hesitantly for she knew how damaging false hope could be, she had experienced it enough with her brothers. "Fred and George, well they recently overheard Arthur and I speaking of little Harry" she choked out, close to tears "and of him being missing" she added as she accepted the handkerchief Sirius kindly offered.

"I know its hard Molly, but we don't even know where to begin, he could be absolutely anywhere" Sirius replied sadly for he worried that Harry may not even be alive.

"I don't know how best to say this Sirius, but Fred and George think they know where he might be" said Molly knowing full-well Sirius would think her barmy, and perhaps she was.

"Aren't they 4 years old Molly?" Sirius responded, thinking the woman must have gone barmy. She had always been quite level-headed, but of course the war had affected everyone in different ways. Perhaps she had been hit by a bad memory jinx in the last death eater attack.

"Yes I know it sounds mad, but you see Dumbledore isn't quite adept at watching young children" she smiled smugly for she had learnt quite early with the twins that constant vigilance was necessary "and they managed to obtain a substantial amount of information from his office" she added slightly embarrassed "which I of course caught them with later."

"Well I must say I'm impressed with their resourcefulness" Sirius responded, nostalgia returning at the antics which reminded him so much of the marauders in their prime. "But what does any of this have to do with Harry?" he asked more seriously (pardon the pun ;)).

"There was a note, with an address" Molly began "it was a muggle residency but above it a clearly written name: Harry Potter" she answered as she passed Sirius the small clipping she had taken from Dumbledore's notebook.

Sirius read the note a few times before looking up again at Molly "this doesn't make any sense, Dumbledore said himself that Harry was missing".

"I don't know what it means Sirius, I just thought it worth a try" she responded, a hint of scepticism in her voice at the trust Sirius had in Dumbledore.

"No Molly you're right" he responded as he jumped quickly to his feet "thank you so much for bringing this to me". It had been over two months and he had not received a single clue as to where Harry could be, he certainly wasn't about to pass up this chance even if he was putting his faith in a pair of four year olds. "4 Privet Drive, Surrey" he read as he pulled on his outer robe "reckon I can apparate?" he directed towards Molly.

"I don't see why not, though I would suggest keeping this away from Dumbledore, at least for now" she added hesitantly as she walked over to the floo.

"I can't say I disagree Molly, I'll keep you informed if I find anything" he replied as he gently shook her hand. After a brief goodbye and many promises to visit the Burrow, Molly returned home and Sirius apparated to Surrey.


	2. Chapter 2

Sirius Black walked briskly down the narrow and uniform street that was Privet Drive. With only one thought on his mind, it was no surprise he had missed the small curtain flicks as nosey neighbours scrutinized the stranger in his rather eccentric attire. In his excitement of having finally received some kind of clue as to Harry's whereabouts, he had not stopped to consider that he was in an entirely muggle neighbourhood. That is until…

"Why are you wearing a dress?" one slightly plump boy hollered at him from across the street, pointing an accusatory finger at Sirius' rather expensive (and certainly not a dress) cloak. Sirius briefly considered hollering back at the child and telling him just that, but he didn't know much about muggles apart from Lily and she was rather extraordinary even for a witch, so he opted to ignore the small child and continue his walk. Sooner than he had anticipated, he arrived at number 4, and while not usually a nervous man Sirius Black found himself feeling slightly anxious. After bracing himself for a potential let down, he rapped twice on the door solidly.

Petunia Dursley envied. She envied her neighbour whose grass was always greener; she envied the woman at the supermarket whose hair was always neater; but most of all she envied her sister who, to Petunia's dismay, had gotten all the spontaneity and unworldly charm she had always wanted. Thus she had vowed to sprinkle extra fertiliser on her lawn every Tuesday, to dedicate an extra 20 minutes to her hair each morning, and to be as perfectly ordinary and positively normal as she possibly could. She was displeased then, when at 5 o'clock in the afternoon a knock at the front door announced the arrival of none other than Sirius Black. He was an obnoxious boy whom Lily had befriended and subsequently invited to dinner one evening, along with the equally obnoxious James Potter. Petunia had not liked him then with his constant pranking and propensity for delinquent behaviours, and she certainly did not like him anymore now.

"What do you want" she hissed quietly, so as not to alert the neighbours, as she opened the door slightly.

"Petunia!?" Sirius spluttered loudly, no concern for the neighbours. He could not believe this was her house. Well to be honest the whole street screamed 'Petunia' now that he thought about it. But why would Dumbledore have Petunia's address written in a notebook? And why was Harry's name with it? He was certain Petunia hadn't even bothered to meet the boy let alone go looking for him but barely had time to consider his thoughts before the horse-faced lady sneered.

"Be quiet would you, I don't need the neighbours spotting you" though it was a moot point as she knew that every curtain was twitching delightfully at the new gossip of the week, just as hers had done when Angela Masons husband had passed out drunk on number 7s front lawn. She only hoped she could spin the story in her favour, perhaps say that Vernon was doing some philanthropy for homeless artists which would at the least explain his ridiculous attire.

"Well, you gonna let me in then" Sirius tried his usual charm, slightly cocked head, half smile and a quick wink, it usually worked. However it usually worked to his favour, a quick swoon and a simple wink usually made them putty in his hands and much more agreeable. Sirius had forgotten that this was Lily's sister, and while the two hadn't been particularly close he was sure Lily had relayed many a story of his bachelor antics while the two were on speaking terms. He was surprised then when instead she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him roughly into the house shutting the door firmly behind him and glaring.

"I've been trying to contact that old man for weeks!" she exclaimed loudly, now out of ear shot of any nosey neighbours. "Told him from the very beginning, if Duddy doesn't take to the boy I won't have him" she continued, much to Sirius' confusion. Sirius quickly interrupted

"Petunia, I have absolutely no idea what you're banging on about" she looked at him ridiculously. How dare he come to her house and pretend he doesn't know.

"Lily named you the godfather didn't she" Petunia said snidely "why aren't you taking the brat" she added.

"Are you talking about Harry?" He asked "he's here!" this was absolute madness. How had Petunia managed to get Harry? She didn't even seem to want him, she could hardly have gone looking for him unless "Did Dumbledore give Harry to you?" he thought out loud, hoping there would be some other kind of explanation.

"Is that his name? The old man with the beard" she asked, feigning disinterest though inside she was slightly intrigued. It wasn't gossip she could share with the neighbours, but it was gossip all the same. Even so, Sirius seemed genuinely interested in the child so perhaps if she played her cards right he would take the boy today.

"Yeah that's him" Sirius nodded sadly, he felt both betrayed and angry at Dumbledore but also elated at having finally found his godson "can I see Harry please?" he asked quickly. Petunia eyed him carefully, she could hardly fetch the boy from the cupboard with Sirius standing in the hallway.

"Take a seat in the living room and don't touch anything" she said pointing to the small doorway to her left "he's just taking a nap so I'll go and wake him" she continued. Sirius walked through eyeing the floral décor and lace trimmed tablecloth with distaste. He warily sat down in a rather uncomfortable white armchair which appeared to be covered in a plastic wrap, Sirius assumed it was a muggle tradition. His thoughts were interrupted however when Petunia returned, awkwardly carrying Harry who appeared to have not grown all that much since Sirius had last seen him. Sirius quickly stood up and walked towards the pair, closing the gap between himself and Petunia.

"Hello Harry, I've missed you" he whispered to the prongslet, delighted at having finally seen the baby, and alive.

"Padfoo'!" the baby squealed, finally looking up at the man. He would recognise that voice anywhere. It was the voice of his storyteller when mummy and daddy were away, and his horsey (dog) when daddy had bought him that big cowboy hat. He reached his arms out eager to get away from Petunia's awkward hold. Petunia quickly shoved the boy into Sirius' arms, equally eager to be rid of the child.

"Keep the boy Sirius, it seems he's happier with you" she said, not in the least bit upset about the statement for she knew her family would soon return to normal, and that's all she really wanted. Though she wasn't sure what it was, Petunia felt a pang og guilt at having seen Harry so eager to be away from her. While she didn't mind harbouring bad feelings about the boy, she did not expect him to return them. The boy was just like Lily, she thought spitefully.

"Oh I fully intend to Petunia" he replied, not once wavering his attention from Harry who had now curled his head into Sirius' neck, glad to be held by someone who he didn't fear would drop him at any given moment. "You ready to go home prongslet" he asked. The boy simply nodded, shoving his thumb in his mouth as he smiled widely. His dream had come true! Somebody had come back for him, and not just any somebody but the next best somebody to mummy and daddy themselves.

Sirius left then, but not before extracting several promises from Petunia, however likely they were to be kept, to not attempt to contact Dumbledore anymore. Since Petunia knew also that contacting Dumbledore would only mean the brat would be returned to her, she happily agreed but did not bid them goodbye. Sirius hurried back to Grimmauld Place, anxious to contact Molly, whom he had a lot to discuss with. He had even greater thanks to give to the twins who he knew would give Hogwarts more hell than the marauders even with half the members. Sirius thought about this, absently rubbing slow circles on Harry's back and smiling contentedly as he apparated home, Harry now soundly asleep and snug on his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius and Harry had spent the best part of the morning reacquainting themselves with each other as infectious laughter from both occupants filled the once gloomy, cold house. They had begun the day with Sirius attempting to make pancakes while Harry 'helped', which turned out to be disastrous yet fun. The kitchen, which had remained dusty and unused since James and Lily had died due to Sirius' use of the muggle food delivery business, was soon littered with flour, egg shells, sugar, and various toppings which had managed to escape. Neither occupant was unhappy with the mornings events however as it had provided them both with some much needed emotional healing, and Sirius being a wizard had soon taken care of all the messes.

Sirius looked around the small living area. He had decided to leave the grander rooms alone for now as Harry seemed so small and Sirius didn't quite yet trust the safety of some of the rooms in Grimmauld Place, which he knew from his childhood were littered with all manner of dark artefacts. He recalled a time he had been cursed as a child while playing hide and seek with Regulus, he had been hiding behind a painting and had grasped a door knob to slip behind it when his entire body had been hit with a form of the cruciatus curse. Still, he reminded himself, the small cosy living area suited their needs well and most importantly, kept them safe from the parts of the house Sirius had yet to explore.

As he glanced about the room, he felt an odd sense of satisfaction at having been reunited with his godson at last. It was now mid-morning and after an eventful and early rise, Harry was taking a much needed nap on the sofa. The small boy, barely reaching a year and a half lay sprawled on the sofa, the fire and a soft blanket draped across his shoulders keeping him warm. While Sirius approached the boy, he thought mostly of Lily and James, and how he wished Harry could have had a proper family instead of just him. He loved the child of course, he couldn't have loved him more if he was his own flesh and blood, just like James, but he knew also that he could never replace them. Thus he felt a strange solemnness in his happiness while he absently combed his fingers through Harry's baby soft raven hair, and vowed to do his everything to give Harry the love and upbringing the boy deserved. Not just for Lily and James, but for Harry.

"Molly, I was wondering if I could borrow you for a moment" Sirius asked quietly as he knelt, throwing floo into the fire and putting only his head through. He had not yet spoken to Molly about having found Harry for he was too scared to send an owl in case of interceptions. While surprised at his immediate trust in the matriarch of the Weasley clan, Sirius was hard-pressed to find any in discrepancy suggesting Molly was untrustworthy, and she had saved him from many a stray curse during their Order time together.

"Of course Sirius, let me just tell Arthur to watch the troops" she replied good-naturedly as she hurried off into another room. Sirius watched as she rushed off, much appreciating her support and concern over the situation and inwardly cursing himself for not having realised that Dumbledore's composure was kept only through his lack of care and manipulations. Sirius heard muffled scolding from Molly and he assumed she must have run into the twins, but a moment later the red-haired woman returned. "Right ill just pop through now Sirius" she said as he pulled his head back through to Grimmauld Place, clearing the network for Molly.

Molly stepped through the floo, slightly more prepared than last time and thus missing the specs of flour which had littered her apron. This time she stood, clad in a hand-knitted cardigan, a wide smile gracing her features as she noticed Harry asleep on the sofa. Sirius returned the smile, equally happy upon being reminded that Harry, just over 24 hours ago, had been a hopeful dream rather than a present reality.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Sirius asked as he offered Molly a seat in the armchair – a small ottoman at its feet. Molly Weasley however was more interested in seeing Harry, for she couldn't believe they had finally found him. "A tea or coffee" he continued to suggest, drawing her attention away from Harry who continued in his peaceful slumber.

"Tea would be lovely Sirius" she responded, glancing away from Harry as she took her seat, flashing Sirius another gentle smile. "He looks so sweet" she continued. She had been devastated upon hearing about Lily and James' death but she had been distraught over the whereabouts of Harry. He was just a baby, even younger than Ron and she knew Ron could scarcely remember what a fork was let alone be able to defend himself against dark magic. She had assumed the worst while hoping for the best as she knew there was no other way to cope with the grief and helplessness. But to see Harry here now, sleeping peaceful on Sirius' sofa, Molly felt a great sense of relief.

"I hear they all do when they're asleep" Sirius laughed as he walked through to the adjoining kitchen. "But I'll bet you know all about that" he called, reminding himself that she had a whole troop of her own at home.

"Oh yes" she called back. "They are a handful at times, but a blessing all the same" she continued, laughing slightly as Sirius returned with her tea. He handed the large mug to her and took the seat opposite, nodding in agreement.

"I'm afraid I couldn't think of anyone else to talk to" Sirius said solemnly jumping straight to the point. He wasn't sure who he could trust now, in fact he hadn't slept the entire night as he made a mental list of Order members and tried to see who was on his side. Surely Dumbledore couldn't have lied to them all, there must've been members he informed, Sirius just didn't know how to work out which ones.

"I'm sorry Sirius, you'll have to give me some more information to go on" Molly said confusedly "where was Harry?"

"Exactly where Dumbledore left him" Sirius replied bitterly.

"You mean the address was correct?" she asked. "Harry was living in a muggle town". She desperately attempted to form some coherent thought, but so far she could come up with none that did not implicate Dumbledore negatively. She had of course had her presumptions about him. He was a nice man there was no mistaking, but he always had an agenda and he didn't quite care to dwell on the means of achieving his agendas.

"Yes, it was Lily's sister's address" he replied with disdain "I don't know if you ever had the misfortune of meeting her?" he asked Molly.

"No I can't say I ever did though I heard enough through Lily, and Severus too about the nasty girl" she responded. _Severus_ Sirius thought, now there's a man probably in on the plan, in fact the snarky git probably made it up himself. He made a mental reminder to do some digging on Severus, it was best to be one step ahead, especially because Severus was usually 3 steps ahead. "I can't imagine why Dumbledore placed him there" Molly added.

"I'm trying to work out the same thing myself" responded Sirius "and not only that, but to lie about it, to try and keep me away from him, what was Dumbledore's plan" he thought out loud. He had half a mind to floo to Hogwarts himself just to ask the old man, but even in his anger he could rationalise that doing that would only place Harry in jeopardy.

"Who else have you spoken to Sirius?" Molly asked in concern for she knew Sirius was loyal but he was also defiant and hot headed, she needed to be sure he hadn't run off trying to find answers.

"Nobody but you Molly" he reassured her truthfully "though I've planned to inform Remus once I can contact him safely" he added, for Remus was his oldest friend and Sirius knew, as much as he knew he was magic, that Remus could always be trusted.

"Of course, he should know" Molly replied, equally compelled to trust the shy but pure-souled man. "I think you'll need all the support you can get" she continued, glancing worriedly at Harry who now not only faced the threat of Voldemort, but now apparently the increasing threat of Dumbledore too.

"I had hoped Harry could meet some of your boys soon" Sirius offered, eager to focus on the joys of the occasion rather than the impending doom.

"I would love that" Molly smiled "perhaps a rather belated Christmas affair" she added, glancing at the Christmas decorations which littered the living room despite it being nearly February. Sirius laughed loudly at the mention of the decorations. In the mayhem of finding Harry, discovering Dumbledore's betrayal, and attempting to make Michelin quality pancakes he had completely forgotten about his lack of productivity in the cleaning department. Nevertheless he agreed to a belated Christmas affair, he needed to make use of the decorations somehow. They agreed to keep it small just Sirius, Harry, Molly, Arthur, the Weasley boys and perhaps Remus if he could be safely contacted. It would be held at Grimmauld Place to avoid Harry becoming unsettled with a sudden change of environment and unfamiliar faces but also to make the most of the still present Christmas decorations.

Harry awoke just as Molly was preparing to leave. She had just said goodbye to Sirius when a small and sleepy voice replied "buh-bye" and a little hand scrunched in a wave from beneath the blankets. Molly smiled at the little boy and quickly reached into her purse, pulling out a chocolate frog. She often kept them in her purse as a bribe for public occasions when she had to shut the boys up quickly, hey it worked and when you've got 6 boys that's all you need. Upon glancing at Sirius to check it was okay and receiving a smile and a nod, Molly approached Harry and handed him the small chocolate.

"Hello Harry it's very nice to meet you" she said, for although she had met Harry before she doubted he would remember her, especially after his traumatic ordeal. The little boy grinned cheekily up at her as he shoved the chocolate frog in his mouth and hummed in appreciation. Sirius shook his head at the boy's antics while Molly cooed at how cute he looked. She then bid them both goodbye and returned to the Burrow for she had told Arthur she would be no more than fifteen minutes though she had been gone more than 4 times that.

After Molly had left, Sirius and Harry spent the rest of their day lazily watching films, and occasionally intercepting a film with a game of exploding snap. Then Sirius had made sure Harry was occupied with some toys, Harry seemed to love the action figures, so that Sirius could cook them both some dinner. He decided on spaghetti bolognaise in the end as it was a dish he remembered Lily teaching him and so he assumed it would be a dish Harry would like. Harry turned out to like it very much, though not necessarily for eating. Instead the small boy attempted to smother himself in the sauce, strands of spaghetti laced through his nose. Harry found it rather amusing and while Sirius basked in Harry's overt joy, he vowed to try and make less messy foods, if only so that Harry would actually eat them.


	4. Chapter 4

At exactly 2:40pm little Harry hurried his way into the parlour, a soft blue blanket trailing behind him – clutched tightly in a fist. In his other hand he swung his stuffed dragon which had not left his side since Tuesday when Sirius had taken him on his first trip to the toy shop, but that story is for another day. Today was Saturday, and he had been waiting and waiting for this day for absolutely ages! Granted, Harry's concept of time wasn't that great (he was barely two after all) so he was not well versed in the days of the week. Thus, when he had awoken this morning only to be informed that his guests would be coming today, he was excited beyond belief. But Harry's sense of time throughout a day was better than his sense of time throughout a week, so when Sirius had informed him that they would not be arriving until 3pm, Harry was not a particularly happy bunny.

"Good morning sunshine" Sirius spoke softly as he padded into Harry's room to wake up his little terror. They had decorated Harry's room on Wednesday after shopping for some supplies in Hogsmeade. Sirius had allowed Harry to choose most of the décor, though he had stepped in when Harry's initial thoughts were to paint the entire room in neon yellow. Instead they had negotiated a more butter yellow which Sirius found slightly less sickening at sight.

Harry had now been with him for a week and a half and they were gradually falling into a routine together.

So far Sirius had only contacted Molly and Remus, who was very happy to hear of Harry's new living arrangements and immediately accepted his invitation to the belated Christmas gathering. Remus was, of course, worried about Dumbledore's reaction to Harry's change of guardian and after a three hour floo call with Sirius, came to the conclusion that whatever the reaction may be, Harry and Sirius would always have his protection. It had been a touching moment for Sirius who, despite trusting Remus' loyalty and commitments entirely, had been feeling so isolated since discovering the potential betrayal of the Order. He had been surprised when he had not been immediately bombarded with aurors and Order members accusing him of kidnap due to Dumbledore's power in the Wizengamot, but he reminded himself it was best not to dwell on could be's. if Dumbledore had yet to contact him it was either because the man checked so little on Harry that he wasn't aware he was missing or that he knew but couldn't tell Sirius because that would reveal his betrayal, as Harry was supposed to be 'missing' anyway. Either way, Sirius hoped he could keep it quiet enough until he could seal a better guardianship with Harry and if not, move far away.

Harry rubbed two fists against sleepy eyes but still managed a bright smile for Sirius as the older man sat himself down on the Harry-sized bed which still managed to look huge in comparison to the boy. Sirius returned the smile, unable to resist a quick tickle to the exposed stomach where Harry's tossing and turning had caused it to ride up.

"We have a big day today champ" Sirius started as he lifted Harry into his arms, ready to get him some breakfast "hosting our own little shindig" he continued, chatting idly to the small boy as he made his way through the large manor.

"wha' do pa'foo?" Harry asked, after waiting patiently for Sirius to stop his nattering. Harry wasn't sure why, but Sirius seemed to think he was completely unaware of anything. Of course Harry didn't mind the constant nattering. In fact he found it rather fun, and sometimes Sirius would stop naming every colour they saw (Harry thought this was weird since surely Sirius was old enough to not need practice anymore) and instead tell him one of the Great Marauder Tales. However, Harry thought Sirius was the best thing that had ever happened to him as he would take Harry out to places he had never been before. Just yesterday he had taken Harry on a spontaneous trip to the Science Museum and Harry had been extremely impressed.

 _Sirius was beyond terrified. He had thought himself quite a whiz at muggle transportation since he and James often spent their summers drinking in Hyde Park, long before either of them could apperate. But what Sirius hadn't accounted for was the fact that now he wasn't travelling with a 15 year old but rather a 2 year old, and the London Underground was not well equipped for that age of traveller. In fact, Sirius concluded, the Underground wasn't really well equipped for anyone and it seemed there was a constant stream of people ready to knock him down. He reminded himself however that not long ago, he would have been one of the boisterous boys charging through the station too. Either way, he vowed he would not be taking Harry on the Underground again until he was at least fifteen, until then he would stick to the floo network._

 _Harry on the other hand was having an absolute blast. Who knew there were trains that went under the ground! He had never seen so many people in one place before, and they all seemed to be heading in the same direction. When Sirius forked off, away from the main stream of people, Harry was not very happy._

 _"go da' way!" Harry cried indignantly, pointing with one arm as his other clutched tightly to the collar of Sirius' coat. Sirius continued toward the platform he needed. He did however explain to Harry that the people were not going anywhere that would be more fun than where they were heading, which appeased Harry enough to comply with Sirius. He had soon forgotten that he had wanted to go a different way anyway and Sirius was relieved that he would not have to experience Harry's first tantrum in a public place._

 _Soon Sirius' fears were soothed as he hurried through the barriers of South Kensington tube station, careful to aim Harry so that neither one of them would be stuck on the wrong side. He had decided earlier that morning to take Harry to the science museum. He could distinctly remember an area called the Launch Pad, he was almost certain it was called that anyway, which was catered to kids. The whole room was filled with kid-sized experiments that attempted to teach children more advanced sciences. Since it was both fun and educational Sirius had thought himself quite the responsible adult for taking Harry, and he would not admit it was due to Remus' insistence that he do more with Harry than just play and be generally mischievous._

 _"Look at this one Harry!" Sirius announced in his voice reserved for hyping up Harry. He was pointing at a constellation telescope which, through the use of muggle TV – Sirius thought he heard somebody say Virtual Reality whatever that was – the telescope would teach kids where to find the different constellations. "You'll be able to find me on here" he added jokingly as Harry toddled over, panting slightly from excitement._

 _After studying the telescope for quite some time "Where's you?" Harry asked innocently, eliciting a bark of laughter from Sirius. Sirius bent down to Harry's height and pointed out the constellation 'canis major' though he explained it as the Dog Star so Harry would understand better. Harry was rather impressed with the fact that Sirius had managed to get his own star, and a little disappointed that he wasn't a star too. Sirius tried to explain that he had been named after the star and not the other way round, but it was a difficult concept for such a young child to grasp. Luckily a great sense of reflexivity is also a trait of the very young and after spotting the large bubble display, Harry was suitably distracted._

Harry thought about all the great things he had seen yesterday as Sirius busied himself preparing breakfast. Sirius had decided to go with a simple breakfast of toast with fluffy eggs and a small fruit salad each on the side. Molly would be coming over later with Arthur and the boys to have a belated Christmas celebration together considering the not-so-happy vibes that were present just weeks ago.

"There you go pup" He said, placing Harry's breakfast in front of the child as he took his own seat opposite. Harry happily began picking at his fruit salad, small fingers dunking into the bowl as he searched for a grape, then a blueberry, then a strawberry.

"Harry, use your spoon kid" Sirius said, picking up the spoon he had placed next to Harry's bowl and holding it out to the small boy.

"No t'ank you spoon pa'foot" the little boy replied with a small shake of his head, smiling impishly and returning chubby fingers in search of another blueberry.

"No thank you?" Sirius exclaimed, a wide smile on his face at the cheek of the small child "Harry, you pick up your spoon and eat" he continued seriously, for he knew Remus would scold him something terrible for encouraging Harry to eat like a slob. Harry, with all the mischief of a small toddler, did as he was told. In his left hand, he clutched his spoon while he used his right hand to continue his strawberry hunt. Sirius laughed good naturedly at his little tyke, standing to clear away his own bowl and get himself some scrambled eggs.

"Alright" laughed Sirius, "but you're on your own when the eggs come" he called back to the little imp. Harry simply grinned back, plopping another berry in his mouth. As Sirius came over with both their plates of eggs and toast, he couldn't resist a quick tickle to his imps chin, eliciting a giggle that warmed Sirius' heart.

After breakfast, Harry had requested some outdoor playtime which Sirius had happily obliged him with. They had spent the best part of an hour romping in the garden, Sirius as Padfoot, while Harry happily chased after him and vice versa. Though Sirius hadn't obliged him in order to tire the child out, it had proven a good method for ensuring Harry took his afternoon nap. So, after a lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches, served with carrot sticks (Molly had told Sirius to give Harry more vegetables), Sirius was able to put Harry down quite easily for a well-needed nap before the Weasley clan arrived.

It was now 2:45pm and Harry had awoken from his nap and excitedly planted himself on the sofa in front of the fireplace to await his guests. Sirius had told him that he would be meeting some other little boys, ones that might want to play games with him, and he had never had friends like that before! In fact, he didn't really know any little boys his age save Dudley, and he certainly didn't like playing games with Dudley. They always involved Harry getting hurt, and that turned out to be not so much fun. Harry hoped these boys would like to play games that Sirius had shown him like chase, tag, catch, and even make-pretend! Fifteen minutes passed as Harry pondered all these wonderful things he could do with his new friends, he didn't even notice Sirius come in and take the seat to his left. He was broken out of his reprieve only by the sudden bustling of people being herded through the floo. There were more kids here than there were at the park! Harry was naturally overwhelmed, sidestepping to partially hide behind Sirius' legs, who had risen to greet Molly and Arthur.

"Hello Molly" Sirius smiled as he shook the friendly matriarchs hand "and hello Arthur" he continued, taking the friendly man's hand also "I hope you're both well".

"We're very well, thank you for having us all" Molly replied, secretly hoping her boys would behave while at Sirius' house.

"And how about yourself Sirius?" Arthur asked, "Any news on Remus' latest mission?" he continued, earning a sharp glare from Molly. She did not think it prudent to discuss Order business in front of such little ears, especially considering the nature of the missions Dumbledore had Remus doing.

"We're all quite well" Sirius replied with mirth, Molly certainly wore the trousers in their relationship, and she wore them well. "I'm sure Remus will return with good news soon" he added meaningfully, though it did not appease either adult for it meant Sirius had not heard from him since he'd left over a week ago.

While the adults cryptically exchanged Order information in an attempt to disguise as much as they could from the children, said children had grown bored and decided to entertain themselves. Charlie and Bill, thinking themselves too old for childish games, had engaged instead in a rather animated conversation about the various secrets of Hogwarts while Fred and George scouted the room for any potential pranks. Noticing this, Molly sent them both a firm glare, silently warning them to behave, and the two boys surprisingly decided to join their brothers' conversation instead. With four of the boys suitably distracted, Harry felt confident enough to approach the smallest boy, who looked about the same size as himself.

"Hi, I Hawwy" he said, standing just out of arms reach for he had not gotten over his shyness completely.

"Hi, I Ron" the boy returned smiling widely at the dark haired boy who, in toddler terms, was now his friend.

Harry returned the freckled red-headed boy's smile and said simply "wanna pay twains?"

"ooh yeah" replied

Sirius glanced toward the corner of the room where one dark messy head of hair popped briefly out of the toy box, closely followed by one ginger head of slightly less messy hair. He couldn't help the surge of happiness he felt at Harry's new friendship, especially when it happened to be a Weasley. Although Sirius had not interacted much with the Weasley family throughout his school days, he now considered them an extension of his small family. In fact, he thought as he watched the two boys play, they had become just as important to him as the Potters had been.


End file.
